Read through guidelines relevant to your category as well as all terms and conditions, then submit your entry.

An expert panel consisting of prestigious local and international industry leaders will select 5 finalists for each category(Openand Student respectively).

You will be notified prior to the formal announcement, and we will be in touch if any further documentation or materials are required for the Awards Evening.

You will also receive two exclusive-entries for the invite-only Chroma Art Awards Evening on the evening of 1st June 2019.

Winners will be announced at the Chroma Art Awards Evening on 1st June 2019. Winners will be asked to give a short thank you speech and be presented with trophy + prizes. Winners will be photographed for marketing and promotional purposes.

Finalists who cannot participate in person must notify Chromacon in advance.

• The work must be original, self-produced/ published, featuring IP owned/ co-owned by the entrant.
  
• Entries can be submitted by individuals, studio, teams, so long as they are the principal IP owners.
  
• Entry is only open to residents or citizens of New Zealand.
  
• Entries must be publicly released/accessible/completed from 1st May 2017 – 24th May 2019. Works that have been submitted to past
  
  Chromacon Art Awards are not eligible without prior approval from Chromacon.
  
• Student category entrants must have been enrolled at an accredited government learning institute(Level7 Bachelor’s degree or below) at the time of creating their entry.
  
• Entrants who are no longer a full-time student and have entered in any other category are not eligible to enter student categories.
  

• Entries must be received by Midnight(UTC+12) Sunday 26th May, 2019.
  
• The entrant is to ensure that all information given on the entry form is true and correct, and submitted under the correct category.
  
• Entries can be created using either digital and/ or traditional mediums.
  
• Entries must not contain elements infringing on copyright or trademarked material. This also includes work derivative of art in the public domain or using or referencing assets not owned by or licensed to the creative.
  
• Mature content and imagery are allowed, however entries must not contain themes or imagery that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual.
  
• Submissions must not contain any extra watermarks outside of titles, dialogue, artist’s signature, necessary links and credits(thisdoes not include necessary design notes for Concept Design category).
  
• Chroma Art Awards judging panel, and their immediate families are not eligible to enter without prior approval(therelated judge in question will be flagged and unassigned from judging the work).
  
• Only one entry per person/ team per category unless entrant has prior approval from Chromacon(prizeswill be shared amongst winning teams at their discretion).
  
• All entries will be judged by an independent panel. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  
• Finalists and winners grant and authorise Chromacon to use their physical likeness and/or artwork for marketing and promotional purposes(winnersstill retain copyright to their artwork)
  
• Finalists and winners grant and authorise Chromacon to pass on contact information to media outlets, Chroma Art Award sponsors and partners.
  
• Winners may have to provide additional information(including,without limitation, Student ID, proof of age or identity) to confirm entry and submission eligibility.
  
• By submitting to Chroma Art Awards you agree to abide by all rules, terms and conditions or face risk of disqualification.
  

The art of Visual Storytelling.

Entries should be a standalone piece of artwork communicating subjects, concepts, themes, ideas or moments. This award is open to all styles, techniques and mediums, however the entry should be represented in a 2-dimensional format. Photographic elements are acceptable but the final entry should be not be photographic in nature.

Strong narrative and attention to art fundamentals will be crucial components of an entry’s success.

• Entries are judged on the following criteria:
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Storytelling/ Communication of themes
  • Technical execution/ Effective use of medium
  • Expression/ Overall impact
    
• Entries must be a piece of Original Work– that is, not based on third-party IP(ie.advertising, commission, licensing) and the entrant owns all rights to the work. Entries may be exempt from this rule if the work is collaborative/ produced for projects also independent in nature(i.e.indie comics/ animation/ film/ games etc) approved at the sole discretion of Chromacon.
  
• Entries must be submitted as a single JPG/PNG file. For traditional media, please submit a scan/ photograph that is the most accurate representation of the original work.
  
• Submissions must be at least 2000 pixels in the shortest length.

Open Category Presented by GARAGE PROJECT

The art of Pre-production Design.

Entries should feature a strong design process demonstrating the functional and narrative purpose of the design inside it’s imaginary worlds. This award is open to both 2D and 3D styles and techniques.

• Character/ Costume/ Creature/ Environment/ Vehicle/ Prop designs are all acceptable. Entries must clearly communicate the design’s functional purpose as part of a holistic story/ world/ experience.
  
• Each applicant must submit onefinal piece of concept design and one - twopages of design process sketches and brief notes explaining the design's purpose, functionality and role within the story/ world it is a part of.
  
• Entries are judged on the following criteria:
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Design/ Functionality
  • Storytelling/ World-building
  • Technical execution/ Effective use of medium
    
• Both traditional and digital 2D & 3D techniques are all acceptable, as well as different stylistic approaches - i.e. does not have to be‘realistic’but rather, functional.
  
• Strong research, design principles, consideration of purpose of use(i.e.live-action/ animation/ games etc) will be crucial components of an entry’s success.
  
• Indication of a iterative design process and development ie. design variations, different angles of posture, physical/ psychological states, functional breakdowns will all strengthen an entry’s chance of success.
  
• Entries must be a piece of Original Design– that is, not based on third-party IP(ie.advertising, licensed work) and the entrant owns all rights to the work. Entries may be exempt from this rule if the work is collaborative/ produced for projects also independent in nature(i.e.animation/ film/ games etc) approved at the sole discretion of Chromacon.
  
• Entries must be submitted as JPG/PNG files. For traditional media, please submit scan/ photographs that most accurately represent the original work.
  
• Entries must be at least 2000 pixels in the shortest length.

Open Category Presented by WETA WORKSHOP

Student Category Presented by MASSEY UNIVERSITY

The art of Sequential Storytelling.

Entries should be a series of juxtaposed images through pages or panels expressing ideas, narratives and themes. Both fictional and non-fictional subject matters are accepted - dialogue is not mandatory.

We encourage diverse range of styles, techniques and media, however the entry should be represented in a 2-dimensional format. Photographic elements are acceptable but the final entry should be not be primarily photographic in nature.

• Entries are judged on the following criteria:
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Storytelling/ Communication of themes
  • Technical execution/ Effective use of medium
  • Expression/ Overall impact
    
• Entries must be a piece of Original Work– that is, not based on third-party IP(ie.advertising, licensed work) and the entrant owns all rights to the work. Entries may be exempt from this rule if the work is collaborative/ produced for projects also independent in nature(i.e.indie animation/ film/ games etc) approved at the sole discretion of Chromacon.
  
• Entries must be submitted as JPG/PNG files. For traditional media, please submit scan/ photographs that most accurately represent the original work.
  
• Entries must be at least 2000 pixels in the shortest length.

Student Award Presented by VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

The art of Moving Imagery.

Entries should have a strong narrative focus. Elements of VFX, motion graphics, procedural animation, mocap animation etc can be featured, but the work should be not be a pure technology showcase.

There are no limitations in length, but the animation must be a complete piece of work reflecting clear artistic intention(ie.a walk cycle test or attack animation for a game is not sufficient).

• Entries are judged on the following criteria:
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Storytelling/ Communication of themes
  • Technical execution/ Effective use of medium
  • Expression/ Overall impact
    
• Entries must be a piece of Original Work– that is, not based on third-party IP(ie.advertising, licensed work) and the entrant owns all rights to the work. Entries may be exempt from this rule if the work is collaborative/ produced for projects also independent in nature(i.e.indie comics/ music/ film/ games etc) approved at the sole discretion of Chromacon.
  
• If the work is collaborative in nature, the applicant must apply as a group/ collective/ partnership with a shared credit, noting proper credits. Prizes will be shared amongst winners at their discretion.
  
• If the entry features a mix of live action and animation, More than 50% of the work must be animation; the animation technology used in the film is not restricted.
  
• Entries must be submitted in the form of a Youtube/ Vimeo link at least 720p resolution.
  
• Works featuring non-English dialogue must be subtitled, or include an English dialogue script.
  
• Once confirmed as a finalist, entrants must either supply a digital copy of the work at the highest quality for exhibition at Chromacon or provide express permission for it to judged and exhibited live at Chromacon in a digital format. While all reasonable effort will be taken to care for entries, Chromacon will not be responsible for any damage or loss to any physical storage media.

The art of Interactivity and Play.

Entries should clearly demonstrate design intentions through an interactive format. There are no platform limitations, however, entrants are responsible for submitting works in a playable state able to be playtested by the jury. If you are submitting a demo, it should be a complete vertical slice.

• Entries are judged on the following criteria:
  • Visual Art(Graphics/Art Direction)
  • Audio(SFX/Music)
  • Technology(TechnicalExcellence/ QA/ Balance)
  • Design(Gameplay,Mechanics, Narrative)
  • Innovation/ Overall impact
    
• Entries must be a piece of Original Work– that is, not based on third-party IP(ie.advertising, licensed work) and the entrant owns majority rights to the work. Co-publisher relationships are acceptable.
  
• If the work is collaborative in nature, the applicant must apply as a group/ collective/ partnership with a shared credit, noting proper credits. Prizes will be shared amongst winners at their discretion.
  
• Entries must be either publicly released after 1st May 2017, or currently unreleased but expected to be publicly released before 1st May 2020
  
• Entrants are welcome to submit more than one game, as long as it meets the rules and criteria.

Open Category Presented by NZGDA

Student Category Presented by MEDIA DESIGN SCHOOL